Obama’s war on coal

News and Sentinel, Parkersburg, W. Va.: President Barack Obama and his minions clearly are hoping the public misses the point about the war on coal and affordable energy.

Under questioning during a House of Representatives hearing, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy assured lawmakers that coal will continue to be a major source of energy for Americans.

But at what cost?

A new set of regulations intended to limit burning of coal at power plants is to be released today. Critics of the plan point out that meeting the rules with a new power plant would require technology that is not available or affordable.

Coal now generates about 40 percent of the electricity used by Americans. “Alternatives” favored by the White House simply cannot fill the void that would be left by retiring every coal-fired power plant in the country.

So some would have to be retained. In essence, that is all Moniz and McCarthy told lawmakers.

What they did not add is that environmental regulations may double or even triple the price of power generated from coal.